mortal

[ mawr-tl ]
See synonyms for mortal on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. subject to death; having a transitory life: all mortal creatures.

  2. of or relating to human beings as subject to death; human: this mortal life.

  1. belonging to this world.

  2. deadly or implacable; relentless: a mortal enemy.

  3. severe, dire, grievous, or bitter: in mortal fear.

  4. causing or liable to cause death; fatal:a mortal wound.

  5. to the death: mortal combat.

  6. of or relating to death: the mortal hour.

  7. involving spiritual death (opposed to venial): mortal sin.

  8. long and wearisome.

  9. extreme; very great: in a mortal hurry.

  10. conceivable; possible: of no mortal value to the owners.

noun
  1. a human being.

  2. the condition of being subject to death.

Origin of mortal

1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, Middle French mortal, mortel, from Latin mortālis, equivalent to mort- (stem of mors ) “death” + -ālis -al1;see ambrosia; murder; murther

synonym study For mortal

6. See fatal.

Other words from mortal

  • mor·tal·ly, adverb
  • non·mor·tal, adjective, noun
  • non·mor·tal·ly, adverb
  • post·mor·tal, adjective
  • post·mor·tal·ly, adverb
  • pre·mor·tal, adjective
  • pre·mor·tal·ly, adverb
  • un·mor·tal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use mortal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mortal

mortal

/ (ˈmɔːtəl) /


adjective
  1. (of living beings, esp human beings) subject to death

  2. of or involving life or the world

  1. ending in or causing death; fatal: a mortal blow

  2. deadly or unrelenting: a mortal enemy

  3. of or like the fear of death; dire: mortal terror

  4. great or very intense: mortal pain

  5. possible: there was no mortal reason to go

  6. slang long and tedious: for three mortal hours

noun
  1. a mortal being

  2. informal a person: a mean mortal

Origin of mortal

1
C14: from Latin mortālis, from mors death

Derived forms of mortal

  • mortally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012